Mekong Institute
Vacancy – Communication Specialist - Lower Mekong Initiative
Food Security Donor Mapping, USAID Project, Mekong Institute,
Khon Kaen, Thailand
Mekong Institute
The Mekong Institute (MI) is an inter-governmental organization owned by the six countries of
the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). MI’s focus is building capacity and human resource
development in GMS, for regional development and cooperation. The GMS is experiencing
change at a rapid rate, and we at MI prioritize the preparation of the workforces of these
countries to further enable regional integration, and bring about more equitable, inclusive
economic growth.
MI is in a period of growth. MI is increasingly focusing on engaging in multi-year, multi-sector
programs in collaboration with a host of regional development partners and local public and
private sector organizations. We are currently expanding our portfolio to position as a GMSbased knowledge-center of excellence so we are to increase institutional capacities by developing
a result based M&E system at the organization-wide to measure our activities’ impacts.
Background Information:
The project entitled “Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Food Security Donor Mapping” funded by
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is implemented by Mekong Institute (MI).
The Communication Specialist will assist the implementation of the project and is the focal point
for documentation, communication, public relations and visibility activities. She/he will be incharge of developing dissemination and marketing strategy including the bi-weekly social
networking tweets, the monthly newsfeeds and the food security snapshots on the Agriculture
and Food Security (A&FS) projects/activities in the Lower Mekong Region under the
supervision of the Program Manager of Rural Development (RD) of MI. The Communication
Specialist will likewise be responsible for monitoring the public’s access and usage, evaluation
of database system performance, and regular assessments of the usability and usefulness of the
project outputs.
The donor mapping project aims to improve donor coordination on food security projects in the
Lower Mekong sub-region by making available and proactively disseminating important
information about donor priorities and programming in the food security sector. A database with
a geographical map of agriculture and food security activities/projects in Lower Mekong
countries will be publicly available on MI website to inform donors, the LMI governments, the
private sector, research centers and other potential users about donor priorities and programming
in the food security sector in the region.
Communication Specialist - Lower Mekong Initiative Food Security Donor Mapping,
USAID Project
We are seeking a Communication Specialist for USAID Project under the general direction of
Program Manager (Rural Development Program Department) and the Director. The position is
based at the Mekong Institute, located on the Khon Kaen University campus, Northeast Thailand.
Khon Kaen, a growing city, is the commerce and political center of Northeastern Thailand and
an important gateway to other GMS countries.
The responsibilities include:
Main Duties
Collect multimedia information on A&FS
activities and work closely with focal points in
Lower Mekong region to update the database
Manage the geographical donor map website
Design and produce A&FS snapshots
Prepare monthly newsfeeds and bi-weekly
networking tweets on relevant food security
developments in the Lower Mekong region
Develop and implement a communication,
dissemination and marketing strategy for the
project in cooperation with USAID and LMI
Coordination Hub
Document and disseminate good practices and
innovative methodologies implemented within
A&FS project
Perform additional work as assigned by the RDD
Manager
Expected Results
Regular updates on the geo-database
Ensure public’s accessibility to an interesting,
dynamic geo-database
Written snapshots on project achievements,
milestones, and donor coordination in A&FS
sector
Increase people’s awareness on food security
activities and issues in the region to enhance
donor coordination and minimize overlapping
efforts
Strategy developed and implemented
Proven innovative practices generated within the
sector are disseminated to relevant stakeholders
and shared with local and national counterparts
Qualifications
The qualifications required for this role are:
1. Candidate must have a post-graduate degree in journalism, development communication
or related social sciences.
2. Excellent English writing and communication skills are required.
3. Preferably with database management and website administration training or experience.
4. At least 5 years of working experience in the field of rural development, agriculture and
food security, preferably in Lower Mekong countries
5. Proven capacity to work in a complex institutional environment which involves dealing
with government, international agencies, private sectors and research centers.
If you have the skills and experience to exceed in this position, and are passionate about
equitable and inclusive economic growth in GMS, please send your CV and cover letter, to
hr@mekonginstitute.org and cc. to ngan@mekonginstitute.org by 15 December 2014, titled
‘Communication Specialist, Food Security Donor Mapping’.
1. Updated CV (max 3 pages) and cover letter (max 2 pages)
2. Scanned copy of passport
3. Scanned copy of latest academic certification (in English language)
Please note that only applications successful in progressing to the next stage will be responded
to.